CHRISTINE ROSARIA

Mid March is still cold in upstate New York, but after a long lock down winter I was really eager to launch my first non-kit boat, a 11.5 ft Glen-L designed power/row skiff. I had sailed in Maine the summer before and saw these sorts of simple but practical and beautiful wooden skiffs everywhere, still being put to real lobstering work.

For mine, I used local white oak for the keelson and battons and risers, ash for the chine logs, and then cherry from a tree at my house for the stem, sheer clamps, thwarts, breast hook etc.

Anyway, on March 23rd word was that a twenty foot by thirty foot patch of ice opened up on the outflow of our local lake so I rushed up. She didn’t leak, was very stable and seemed like would row well though it was hard to tell!